Are Professional Resumes Worth It? A Realistic Look at the Value
Determining whether to invest in a professional resume or do it yourself can be a challenging decision. Often, there are competing factors that must be weighed to determine the right choice for your situation. Considerations such as budget, timeliness, and the end result should all play a role in your decision. With the success of your career riding on a single document, many people turn to an expert service to get them the results they’re looking for. But is a professional resume really worth the investment?
What Makes a Great Resume?
A great resume is more than just an overview of your work history. Instead, it should:
- Encapsulate your unique value proposition
- Showcase why and employer should believe in you
- Explain at a glance why you’re the right fit
- Be fully optimized for Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS)
Skilled resume writers are able to take your career story and distill it into a meaningful narrative that aligns with an employers objectives.
What Factors Should You Consider?
Given the importance of your resume, it’s important to make a thorough decision on what route you should take.
- What’s the value of getting into a new position?
For many people, applying to a new position means earning thousands more per year. For others it can be a better work/life balance, shorter commute, or better working environment. According to many studies, the average salary increase when switching positions is 5.8% That’s a big incentive to make your applications count. A good professional resume writer will help you earn a higher salary by helping an employer feel confident about the value you can bring to your organization. Whereas, a poorly-written DIY resume can actually reduce confidence and make you less likely to get the offer you’re looking for. - How much time am I willing to invest?
Living in a fast-paced world where we’re forced to juggle many competing priorities means that we don’t always have the time we need to write a great resume. A compelling resume often takes hours of tedious writing and revising. In many cases, you’ll invest that time only to figure out that time was wasted going the wrong direction. Unfortunately, resume standards change regularly, and just because the last resume you wrote worked, doesn’t mean this one will. - Do I know what employers actually want?
The application process is more difficult than it has ever been. Employers are using ATS and AI to pre-screen applications looking for the right terms and phrases. These “keywords” determine your hiring potential – and whether your resume goes to a hiring manager or the garbage. When writing your own resume, you must do the proper research to ensure you’re including the correct terms and phrases. You must also make sure your resume is in a compliant format. Non-compliant formats are automatically rejected. In some cases, it’s easier to let a professional service that measures what works and what doesn’t ensure your resume is fully optimized for the ATS pre-screen.
What is the current landscape?
It’s important to look at the actual results when determining the best course of action for your situation.
By the numbers, professional resumes consistently outperform DIY resumes. For applicants using DIY resumes:
- The average job search is approximately 20 weeks
- The average applicant gets 1 job offer per 200 applications
- The average salary increase when changing jobs is just 5.8%
Professional services such as Resume Writing Group perform better on average:
- 98.4% success rate for getting clients hired in 45 days
- 3X increase in the number of job offers
- 14% average salary increase
If you’d like to calculate the savings on your own, here is a handy tool: Calculate Your Resume ROI
With these results, the cost of a professional resume is almost immediately offset by the reduction in transition time, the increase in opportunity, and the higher salary ranger. Furthermore, because salary is annualized, you’ll continue to see the benefits going forward in your career.
What Actually Matters?
Whether you decide to write the resume yourself or hire a professional service, here are the elements that matter most:
Proper Positioning & Error-Free Writing
Nearly 80% of hiring decision makers reported they immediately rejected applications that had more than one typographical error. Although it seems obvious, many resumes are filled with typographical and grammatical errors. Every resume should be thoroughly proofread before submitting it to an employer. Beyond typos, your resume also needs to highlight the correct areas of your expertise. This means eliminating redundancies and non-relevant information. It also means organizing the resume so that it’s easy to read and engaging.
Eye-Catching Styling & Formatting
Content is only part of the resume equation. Your resume also should include borders, section breaks, page numbers, and properly defined headers. Furthermore, it should include a splash of color, crisp font, and consistent spacing. Ensuring everything is professional and properly aligned will help you make a better first impression.
Value Oriented & Impactful
Resumes need to be more than just a list of skills and experience. Every sentence in your resume should tell an employer why you’re the best fit for the position they’re trying to fill. To do this, your resume should include definable results with context explaining how you were able to make those results possible. This context should include specific skills you used, challenges you faced, and people you worked with.
A Professional Resume is Often the Best Choice
Although it’s not always the right choice, for most people, a professional resume is going to help you earn more money and get hired faster. Just like hiring someone to build your house, change your oil, or diagnose a health condition, hiring a professional is going to make your life easier.
